Baby Picture
by Pandora Imperatrix
Summary: Damian has a little sister now and has been having trouble trying to understand how he fits in his family, Bruce haven't been much help, Selina is having none of that.


'Kyle, she will fall!'

His panicked tone made Selina want to smile, but she didn't. She knew Damian took himself far too seriously, and he liked to be treated as such. It had been so hard to convince him to get this close to Helena, he had only done it now that they were alone, only the three of them. He was especially skittish when Bruce was in the room. She had her suspicions of the reasons the young boy looked so uncomfortable those times, but she tried to give father and son time to solve whatever tension they had by themselves.

'She won't. You won't let her fall, see? You just have to support the head with you elbow and the rest of your arm will be in place.'

'I…' he started but didn't finish. Selina arranged the baby in his arms.

'My arm is too short.' His tone betrayed how annoyed he was by that fact more than he'd ever admit.

'And yet so strong, I saw you throw Dick from one building to another once. And you can keep her in place with the other one like that.'

He didn't like to be touched most of the time, but to her surprise, Damian was compliant to her ministrations, and let her arrange his limbs as necessary to keep Helena safe.

'He tried to mess up my hair when we were in the field.' He mumbled.

Now she smiled.

'How terrible of him. Come on, darling, I'll let go now, you can do it.'

He stared at her panicked.

'Kyl-! Oh…'

Selina let go.

'See.'

He broke eye contact with Selina and looked down to his little sister for a long time, like he was trying to memorize her wrinkled baby face.

'She's so light.' He whispered, amazed.

Selina chuckled.

'Try to carry her for nine months then.'

His brow furrowed, wrinkling his button nose.

'She has father's nose.'

Selina laughed.

'She does, doesn't she? The poor thing, we might give her a rhinoplasty as a birthday gift in a few years.'

She saw his lips twitching; Selina's greatest joy was to break Damian's mountain gorilla's serious face. When she told him that, he informed her that there were no gorillas in mountains and that they lived in forests, with his most mountain gorilla's serious face.

They turned their heads to the sound of approaching steps.

'Selina, have you seen… Oh, Damian. You are here.'

The air changed, standing still, Selina eyes Damian noticing how stiff his little shoulders became.

'Yes, father. Were you looking for me?'

'Hmm…' Bruce hesitated studying the scene, Selina smiled at him, he didn't acknowledged the gest, eyes fixating on Damian. 'Yes.'

'For what?'

'Give Helena back to her mother, let's talk in the cave.'

Damian held the baby a little bit tighter, Helena fussed in her sleep.

'He's just holding her for the first time, Bruce, he can go later.'

'No, it is fine.'

He tried to give her back, but Selina stood up from her nursing chair.

'You know what? They look so adorable, I want a picture of this moment. Where did I put my cell phone again?'

She left the room ignoring Damian pleading eyes and Bruce's stiff posture.

Bruce grunted.

'Do you want to give her to me now?'

'Didn't Kyle just said she was getting her phone to take a picture of me holding her?'

Bruce grunted again.

'Yes, right. But her name isn't Kyle anymore.'

'It would be counterproductive calling her Wayne.'

'You can call her by her first name.'

'She never asked me to.'

'Would you? If she did?'

Silence.

'Are you supporting the head?'

'Yes, father.'

'Are you sure? Let me-' He approached, arms stretched to get the baby, Damian rescinded a step.

'Yes, I am sure. She should have fallen if I didn't wouldn't she?'

Bruce looked from his daughter to him son, his red young face, the betrayed look, his shoulders fell.

'Damian, you don't need to get angry.'

'You know what? Here, have you daughter that you had on purpose, I'm going on patrol.'

Selina entered the room exactly when Damian finished Helena on Bruce's arms.

'I've found it! You won't believe where it was… Wait, what is happening? Bruce, give Helena back to him.'

'No, I don't want to be in your stupid picture, I'll ruin it, like I ruin your stupid family!' And he ran away.

Selina crossed her arms and stared angrily at Bruce.

'Bruce, what have you done?'

'Nothing, Damian just need to calm down, he's being childish.' He rocked the baby even thought she still slept soundly, unaware of the drama surrounding.

'He is a kid. He is allowed to be childish. Give Helena to me. Go talk to your son, now.'

He thought about arguing, after all, he hated being ordered around and it was even more appalling that it was happening in his own house, but if he learnt something in the past months was the when he argued with Selina when she was looking that pissed he was going to lose. Being right or wrong. And he knew he wasn't right. That conversation with Damian was way past its due.

Bruce gave his sleeping daughter a last longing look, she was such a tranquil baby, she had just been passed around so many times and didn't seen to care at all; and then he gave her back to her mother's waiting arms.

'Be kind to him. It has been hard for him lately.'

'I know.'

'Go.'

He nodded and left the room.

When he found Damian, only a minute and a half after leaving Selina, the boy had already finished putting his uniform on, minus the mask, despite being fast dressing up himself, Bruce was always amazed about how quickly Damian got ready.

'Damian, it's too early for patrol.'

'Crime doesn't wait to get dark to happen.'

'Damian.' He tried again in a softer note.

'What do you want?' He snapped.

'I want you to talk to me.'

'I don't have time to talk right now.'

Bruce sighed and approached the boy, he put one hand on his shoulder, that made Damian stop fumbling with his gloves.

'You can make time for your dad, can't you?'

Damian shot him an angry look.

'Be quick.'

'Alright, alright.'

But Bruce just stood there looking at him, his youngest boy, always so angry, so easily hurt.

'You are not talking.'

'I'm sorry, I know. But heading Wayne Enterprises, being Batman, that stuff is easy than this.'

'Yes father, you have made clear how hard for you is having me as a son.' He shoved Bruce's hand away and focused back on his glove.

'Damian, I didn't say that.'

'You never needed to!'

Silence last long enough to Damian want to die a thousand times, he sucked the air hard, and roughly cleansed the hot tears oh his cheeks with the back of his hands.

'If… If that's all I have better things to do.'

And he was right about to leave when he was engulfed in a massive hug.

'Damian, son, I didn't know… Hell, that is a lie, I did know you felt somewhat like that, and it is my fault, I am so sorry. When I say it is difficult to me it isn't because of you, it is me. You know I try to be ready and prepared, but I don't know how to prepare to be your father.'

'Yes, I know, mother had me behind your back, you never wanted me.' He was crying freely now, drenching Bruce's turtleneck.

'That is not what I meant. I am not prepared to be your father as I wasn't to be Dick's or now Helena's. I don't think it's something you can prepare yourself for. And I don't want to fail you, you deserve my best, and I don't think I have been giving you that. I am so sorry.'

He kept rubbing Damian's caped back and he cried, holding his small frame as he shook with sobs. It was so rare to see Damian break like that, the boy must have been under so much pressure, Bruce felt guilty fester in the pit of his stomach.

'And I want you to understand that Helena being born changes nothing about how you fit in this family. You are and always will be my son.'

'Blood son.'

Bruce smirked.

'Blood son. Yes, but I'd like if you stopped bringing that up to your brothers.'

'Fine. Let me go now.'

He didn't.

'Father, you are crushing me.'

He held him a little tighter.

'Father!'

Bruce let go.

'Now, go wash your face and take that picture, Selina is making everyone have one.'

'But I'm going on patrol now.'

'No, you are not. And that's an order.'

'But-'

'We go later, just you and I.'

Damian just kept staring hard at him.

'I promise.'

The boy then nodded and left.

'Ohh the picture will be even better now that Helena is awake. Awwwn, look kitten, she is smiling at you. You love your big brother, don't you, Helena?'

Damian's eyes was still a bit red, but when he looked down to his baby sister, his frown was miraculously gone.

'Big brother.'

'Hn?'

'You said I'm a big brother now.'

'That's right, honey.'

He haven't thought about that. Big brother. Him. Damian. That was promising.

The picture rested on the fireplace mantel that Christmas, and so many others to come.

* * *

**This story is a gift for my dear friend Lily who draw a picture of Damian holding baby Helena the other day for me. I'm the most grateful.**

**If you enjoyed this story please let me know. I'm also always open for requests.**


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